They may call them “routine” bridge inspections, but there is often very little about inspecting highway bridges that can be called “routine.”
There are few people who would say that being suspended 200 feet above a deep running river in a metal basket as a routine activity. And this is a metal basket attached to the end of a narrow steel boom that’s been lowered from a highway bridge deck.
Some work situations demand reliable equipment. Like being lowered on a platform off the side of a structure like the Mike O’Callaghan–Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge spanning the Colorado River between Nevada and Arizona.
It’s times like that when having bridge inspection equipment you can rely on is vital. In fact, the lives of you or your crew may depend on it.
Bridge Inspections Always Require Reliable and Trustworthy Equipment
Most occupations have some degree of safety standards and requirements, but this is especially true for bridge inspection, maintenance, and repair work.
Bridge inspections have to take into account various factors such as the height above the ground or water below, the proximity of bridge structures above or underneath the bridge deck, and the operation and moving of the bridge inspection equipment.
In addition, there is the safety of the inspectors, other team members, other workers, drivers, and even pedestrians on some bridges, all of whom must be safeguarded.
According to one legal firm,
“One of the major concerns of bridge inspections is the safety of the inspection crews, construction workers, pedestrians, and commuters. Unfortunately, as most contractors know, accidents can happen at any time and in the event of a bridge inspection accident, the results are often deadly.”
One of the most dangerous aspects of bridge inspections for bridge inspectors and workers is using equipment that hasn’t been properly maintained and regularly inspected. This is obviously an especially real concern when using under bridge access equipment.
Any failure of any part of an aerial work platform can quickly become a life-threatening situation.
In truth, however, the failure of bridge inspection equipment is actually not a common cause of accidents. In fact, the most common causes of bridge inspection accidents are bridge inspectors or work crew members.
In other words, actions such as these are to blame for most bridge work-related accidents:
- Ignoring safety standards
- Lack of fall prevention equipment
- Using equipment too heavy for the bridge
- Tipped equipment due to poor handling
In other words, some form of human error.
Efficient Bridge Inspections Rely on Trustworthy Equipment
The many technological advancements that we can now utilize in architectural and engineering work, including bridge inspections, has broadened the range of bridge inspection equipment. In addition, it has led to a push to forgo traditional equipment for more remote inspections techniques.
But this isn’t always a better alternative. As one article put it,
“In the world of bridge inspection, we can now use drones and other technology to increase safety, improve data collection, and reduce delays to motorists. But just because we can, does that mean we should?”
Budget concerns are often a driving force behind the use of drone technology, for example. And the lure of being on the ground or on the bridge deck while visually accessing under bridge components is certainly understandable.
However, these newer technologies also have limitations.
The same article goes on to point out that,
“This will come down, in large part, to the bridge’s structure type and condition. For example, fracture-critical structures require hands-on access, not to mention the fact that deficiencies may not be visible using drones in similar steel details. Cracks in concrete are quite often more noticeable. For steel structures, however, key defects may be on the scale of less than an inch in size and located in hard-to-reach areas. Relying on drones to find these defects may overlook critical parts of the structure.”
One of the key aspects of reliable and more “traditional” bridge inspection equipment is that they can provide the sufficient access required for comprehensive inspections.
And, since most agencies and firms involved in bridge work like inspections, maintenance, and repair will usually rent under bridge access equipment, having a reliable source for these rentals is crucial.
Along with being able to recommend the best equipment for particular bridge dimensions and for the nature of the bridge work being done, a truly professional equipment rental company will be able to offer a broad range of reliable and trustworthy equipment.
Under Bridge Platforms for the Best in Bridge Inspection Equipment Rentals
The experts at Under Bridge Platforms are proud to serve all of the Western States, including California, Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Nevada, Montana, and Wyoming, by providing the best selection of high quality under bridge access equipment.
Our large and expanding inventory of under bridge access platforms includes state-of-the-art self-drive access platforms such as the versatile Aspen Aerials A-30 Bridge Inspection Unit and the HPT38 Truck Mounted Platform.
We are a professional equipment provider you can rely on us to guide you through the process of buying or renting the right under bridge inspection vehicle and equipment. No matter the size or type of project, the team at Under Bridge Platforms is here to help you make the proper selection.
We take a great deal of pride in being the only company in our industry based in California that offers total under bridge access. Because we believe in providing only quality customer service, we have managed to build long-lasting relationships with our esteemed customers.
And we intend to keep it that way.
Contact us today and let us help take care of all your under bridge platform needs.
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